Relations between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the president could not be called close. They could in fact be said to be at their worst since Abdurrahman Wahid became president in 1999. Army chief of staff Endriartono Sutarto clearly and explicitly rejected the president's plan to issue a decree dissolving the House of Representatives (DPR).

The chief of staff's statement was a first strike and was followed by a series of comments related to